Stephen Curry is the greatest shooter in NBA history. Apart from his natural ability and talents, he has worked thousands of hours on his craft to perfect it. But for Curry, all this was possible because of his dad, who also played in the NBA. Dell Curry made a name for himself after proving himself as one of the best shooters in the league in the 1990s. This led him to have a fruitful career in the NBA.
But things were not always bright for Curry. The NBA teams at the time feared Michael Jordan. This made one team give up on Dell Curry. Do you know why?
Michael Jordan was the reason behind Dell Curry’s departure
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Dell Curry played in the NBA for 16 years. He was drafted in the first round by the Utah Jazz in 1986. But the Jazz did not see much potential in him, as he only averaged 4.9 ppg in his rookie season. He also shot horribly from the three-point line.
This led them to trade him to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1987. But even they did not see his true potential. A few years later, he became one of the best shooters in the league’s history.
In 1988, the NBA approved two new expansion teams. They were the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Hornets. Since there were only 23 teams in the league then, one team got to pick 12 players while the other could pick 11. The team that picked 11 was given a higher draft pick.
In an interview with the Charlotte Observer, Dell Curry revealed that the Cleveland Cavaliers told him that either he or Craig Ehlo would be protected. The general manager then told Curry that Craig Ehlo could guard Michael Jordan better. So he was protected, and Dell Curry was made available in the expansion draft.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Curry was drafted as the first pick by the Charlotte Hornets and the rest is history. He now considers Charlotte to be his second home. He has lived there since his retirement in 2002.
Dell Curry proved everyone wrong
Even though Dell Curry never made an All-Star team, his impact on the teams he played on was massive. He was always a spark plug off the bench and was always in the conversation for the 6th man of the year. He even won the award in 1994. In his 10 years with Charlotte, he averaged 14 ppg.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
He averaged over 40% from beyond the arc for eight consecutive seasons. But Dell Curry was never able to win a championship. What if the Jazz never traded Curry? He could have been a part of the team that had Karl Malone and John Stockton. History would have been quite different, and all three of them could have won a championship.
Watch This Story: That Man Looked off Steph Curry?: Fans Console Deni Avdija as Jordan Poole Overlooks Open Israeli Starlet on His Way to 41-Point Night